The invention is directed to laparoscopic equipment, and more particularly to a coupling attachment which, when used in conjunction with laparoscopic instrumentation, facilitates the surgeon in the performance of laparoscopic procedures.
In order to perform a laparoscopic procedure, a camera is used to observe the interior of the patient so that proper surgical measures can be implemented by other types of equipment inserted inside the patent. During the laparoscopic surgery, according to conventional practice, the surgeon's assistant generally holds the camera head and guides the camera in, out, to the left, to the right, or rotates it as needed. This can be a tiring process and, as is often the case, the assistant experiences fatigue after holding the otherwise unsupported camera during prolonged surgery. Additionally, the assistant is commonly at risk of obstructing the working path of the surgeon. Several approaches have been suggested in the prior art to hold and positionally control laparoscopic instruments during surgery, in static, movable and robotic embodiments. When used in connection, for example, with laparoscopic cameras, each of these devices typically attach to the camera head. While conventional devices have addressed the need for providing mechanical assistance to the surgeon in controlling or maintaining the position of a laparoscopic camera during surgery, they are cumbersome to install, and each present potential drawbacks. For example, because of their size, conventional devices can obstruct the surgeon's working path, analogous with the problem frequently caused by a hand of an assistant. Although reusable, these existing devices are also expensive to initially purchase. They are complex to operate, requiring additional training and application steps during surgery. Expensive, reusable equipment, also requires post-surgery sterilization.
One example of such a conventional device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,623, in which a remote controlled “Positioner for Medical instruments” is described. It is complex, reusable and an expensive solution.
In US Pat. Pub. 2006/0161136, a “Surgical Accessory Clamp and System Method” is described. Such device similarly presents an Operating Room infrastructure solution with complex and expensive solutions for robotic instrument support.
No simple solution for positionally stabilizing and/or securing laparoscopic equipment has heretofore been suggested in either a disposable version, or in a compact and reusable form.
Furthermore, many of the conventional approaches fail to meet the basic need of simplifying the surgical operation, but instead introduce more complexity, and the potential of obstruction to the surgeon.